President Pavel tasks Babiš with forming a government

President Petr Pavel has authorized ANO party leader Andrej Babiš to begin talks on forming a new government, the Presidential Office announced on its website following their meeting on Monday.

During the meeting, Babiš briefed the president on the ongoing negotiations over a coalition agreement and policy statement. According to the Presidential Office, Babiš pledged to deliver the finalized coalition agreement and program priorities to President Pavel in writing later this week. The president was said to be particularly interested in the sections concerning foreign and security policy.

Babiš has not yet presented his proposed cabinet lineup, but mentioned several names currently under discussion among the coalition parties, the Presidential Office said. President Pavel expects Babiš to put forward a government team that will uphold the democratic principles enshrined in the constitution.

The president is prepared to meet individually with each nominee for ministerial positions to discuss their priorities and policy views. Babiš also assured Pavel that he would publicly address the issue of his conflict of interest before his potential appointment as prime minister.